Atletico Madrid 2 – 1 Real Madrid: 4 thoughts after the Champions League semifinals

Real Madrid make it through to the finals of the Champions League after a hard-fought 90 minutes against their city rivals Atletico Madrid. Atletico won 2-1, but Madrid went through on an aggregate scoreline of 4-2. Here’s Alex McVey with four thoughts about the match.

Adios, Vicente Calderón.

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid saw out the final Champions League match and the final Madrid Derby at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Atleti played their hearts out, but came up short.

It probably won’t come as much of a consolation, but it is still nice that Atleti were able to pull out a win in their final match against Madrid on their home turf. It was always going to be near impossible for Atleti to advance, but they put up a valiant effort, and it was enjoyable to watch it happen.

It was an ugly match, with two yellow cards being dished out in the opening six minutes, a preview of the tackle-heavy affair that was about to happen. It’s honestly amazing that the match ended with 22 players still on the pitch.

The fans at the Calderón really stood behind their team, and it was impressive to see them singing as loudly in the 83^rd minute as they were in the 20^th when Atleti was 2 goals up and the comeback seemed alive.

To add to the drama, a thunderstorm opened up on the Calderón in the closing minutes of the match, as thunder and lightning provided an apt metaphor for the stormy Madrid Derby that had just been witnessed by all.

The comeback was on, until it wasn’t.

Atletico Madrid stormed out of the gates with the intensity that they needed to keep their hopes alive. It was a monumental task to overcome a 3 goal deficit with no away goals to hang their hats on, but for the first 25 minutes or so of the match, it looked like Simeone’s men might have found the formula.

They harassed and harangued Madrid’s players with an intense press that caused problems in Madrid’s back line. Scoring off of header from a corner, and a penalty won after a tough physical challenge in the box by Varane, this was looking like vintage Atletico Madrid.

Atleti landed two huge body punches with their goals, and Madrid was stumbling around dazed. Fortunately, they couldn’t land the knockout punch to go even with Madrid.

Zidane’s men kept their composure and locked the match down until the 42^nd minute, keeping possession and preventing Atleti from building on their momentum.

Then, Isco snatched all the wind out of their sails by scoring the crucial away goal. After Isco scored, Atleti would have needed to score 3 more goals while still preventing Madrid from scoring another. It was a task too far.

Benzema should take huge credit for the creation of the goal, as his precise hold-up play on the edge of the box created the powerful shot for Kroos, as Isco was waiting to gobble up the rebound off Oblak’s desperation block.

Atleti kept on fighting during the second half, but you could gradually see the belief slipping away from their players.  Keylor Navas played a big part in preventing Atleti from finding anything else in this match, as he made a number of crucial saves to keep Atleti from getting their third.

Sergio Ramos also played really well, which was surprising given his early yellow card for yelling at the referee. Ramos knew he had to maintain his control, both over the game and over his temper. Madrid could not afford to go man down as they had against Barcelona. Ramos delivered, too, making two tackles, five interceptions, and thirteen (!!!) clearances (Whoscored).

While it was terrifying to watch Real Madrid concede two early goals, Zidane’s men did an excellent job not crumbling under the pressure. They regained control, didn’t panic, and kept circulating the ball until a chance fell to them.

Then, Los Blancos took their chance, as they have so many times before.

Real Madrid have now scored in 61 consecutive games in all competitions, an all-time record.

Playing a crucial role in the build-up to the goal was the oft-maligned Karim Benzema. It’s true that Benzema doesn’t have the clinicality that people expect from top class strikers.

However, that build-up play shows why Zidane has put so much faith in Benzema, even with Morata nipping at his heels. Benzema calmly held the ball along the touchline, then tapped it between his feet beyond three Atleti players before playing in Kroos for the shot.

Madrid’s midfield was dazzling.

Atletico’s big plan today was to press the hell out of Madrid and try to pin them back. For the first 25 minutes of the match, it was working.

What kept Madrid in control of their destiny was the magical work of their midfield maestros.

Luka Modrić and Isco Alarcon simply could not be stopped today. Those two players are so good at picking the ball up in dangerous situations and dribbling out of three or four defenders to keep the play alive.

Together, the Isco/Modrić partnership put in nearly double the amount of successful take-ons than the whole Atleti squad.

Toni Kroos and Casemiro were also essential to evading Atletico’s press. Toni Kroos had a 96 percent pass accuracy and made five key passes. Casemiro took the aerial route over Atletico’s pressing schema producing seven accurate long balls. (All stats from WhoScored)

Playing in a 4-4-2 when Bale has been hurt has allowed Zidane to pack the midfield and let those players control the game. Putting the defensive nous of Casemiro, the calm, machinic control of Kroos, and the outrageous dribbling, passing, and press-resistance of Modrić and Isco together on the same pitch produces an absolutely unstoppable midfield force.

On, to Cardiff, where Juventus await.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t even a win. But it was enough.

With a 4-2 aggregate scoreline, Madrid got the best of their neighbors, and secured passage beyond the semifinals.

In so doing, Real Madrid have now booked their ticket to their second consecutive Champions League final.

There, they will face off against Juventus in an attempt to become the first ever team to repeat Champions League victories since the invention of the modern UCL tournament. Manchester United were the last ones to come close, losing to Barcelona in 2009.

If anyone can pull off back-to-back UCL victories, it’s Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid. The depth that Zidane has in his squad has allowed him to keep crucial players fresh for the Champions League while still fighting to try to win La Liga. Thus far, Madrid’s strategy of keeping their powder dry for big matches has made them look fresh in the late stages of games.

The final is set for June 3^rd in Cardiff, Wales. The location adds an interesting twist to the plot line. Gareth Bale will certainly be hoping to recover from his injury as Madrid travels to his homeland.

Standing in their way? A Juventus side boasting one of the strongest defenses in Europe.

Neutrals are probably all cheering for Juventus to win. That would allow crowd-pleaser Gianluigi Buffon to lift his first ever Champions League trophy. However, Real Madrid will be looking to spoil the party, so that they can make history as the first repeat champions.

Juventus are masters at keeping clean sheets in the Champions League. Real Madrid haven’t been stopped from scoring since Manchester City in last year’s semifinals, over 61 consecutive matches.

It’s getting cliché to say now. However, it truly is the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object.

Next: Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid: Lineups and Live thread for the UEFA Champions League Semifinal second leg

Madrid now have to turn their concentration to La Liga. There, they will be playing two matches a week. Zidane will be hoping that Bale and Carvajal can use that time to get healthy to be ready for the final.

Fortunately, Zidane’s squad is deep enough to keep fighting for trophies on two different fronts.